Q&A with Aimee Lucido

 

 

 

Aimee Lucido is the author of Lucky Penny, a new novel for younger kids. Her other books include the middle grade novel Recipe for Disaster. She lives in Berkeley, California.

 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Lucky Penny, and how did you create your character Penny?

 

A: The idea of Lucky Penny came from an old germ of an idea I had many many years ago where I wanted to write a series of stories about a girl who was just a little bit luckier than average.

 

When I sat down to write that book, what came out instead was something much closer to what Lucky Penny is today: a story about a girl obsessed with luck, cursed with bad luck after discovering a face-down penny. 

 

I don't feel like I ever really had to create Penny. She appeared fully-formed in my head as a relentlessly optimistic luck-obsessed girl whose wild ideas sometimes get her into trouble. She certainly evolved as the story progressed, as did her relationship with Mara, but the core of who Penny is was with me since day one.

 

Q: What do you think Jon Davis's illustrations add to the story?

 

A: I love Jon Davis's illustrations! I think they're adorable and they give Penny and Mara so much personality. I love their whimsy and their charm and they make the story feel more vibrant on the page.

 

There are also a few moments where they add in a touch of dramatic irony. When you, the reader, can see Penny's cake falling out of her backpack before she realizes it's gone, you know something Penny doesn't, and that makes the reading experience more interesting. 

 

Q: How would you describe the friendship between Penny and Mara?

 

A: Penny and Mara are total opposites in the way that a lot of the best best friends are. Penny is sunshine and light, and Mara (whose name means "bitter" in Hebrew) is darkness and pessimism in a way that I modeled after Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

 

I love that Mara is always down for whatever wacky idea Penny suggests, even if she doesn't fully understand what's going on, and I love that Penny has a voice of reason in her ear at all times. Together, they are better than either of them is on their own.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: I hope kids walk away from Lucky Penny realizing that they can make their own luck.

 

It's possible to read this story in two different ways: Penny's "curse" could be interpreted as existing only in her head, but also, you can see true good luck and bad luck manifesting in various ways throughout the story.

 

But whether or not Penny's curse is real, Penny's luck doesn't change until Penny herself changes--both in attitude and action.

 

I hope kids walk away from this story thinking about how their attitude and their actions manifest different types of luck in their own lives. People can see themselves as victims of lucky or unlucky circumstances, but people can also see themselves as their own lucky pennies, creating the good luck around them by searching for it. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm working on a lot of things, some of which are book-related and some are not. One of the book-related things is putting the finishing touches on my third middle grade, Words Apart, a hybrid verse and graphic novel which is set to launch next fall.

 

I am also working on a very long-term young adult novel project that I don't want to say too much about at the moment because it isn't even fully drafted. But I've spent ages on it and hopefully it someday turns into something!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: If you like Jewish stories, check out my Jewish middle grade novel, Recipe for Disaster, which is about a girl who goes behind her parents' back to give herself a bat mitzvah.

 

I also have a new picture book that came out this year called Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Aimee Lucido.